The Benefits of Creating a Customer Journey Map

The journey of 1,000 miles, they say, begins with a single step. When thrown into the context of business marketing, the journey of 1,000 customers actually commences with a single click, or maybe a tap. However, the path that your customers tread from becoming aware of your brand to the point of handing over a credit card is less of a walk in the park and more of a perplexing labyrinth.

But fret not, as there's an amazing tool to help you get your head around all the ins and outs of customer behavior. Let's chat about the benefits of creating a customer journey map and the many advantages it has to offer!

What is a Customer Journey Map?

Before anything else, let's clear the deck on what a customer journey map is. Picture a map, not one filled with mountain ranges or sea routes, but rather with the multitude of points where your customer interacts with your brand.

Now, put a magnification lens on it, and that, dear readers, is your customer journey map. It comprises all the touchpoints between a customer and your company throughout the relationship, offering a bird's-eye view of the complete buying process.

It's the marketer's crystal ball into the customer's mind, showing key user actions, fluctuating emotions, hiccups along the way, and potential solutions.

The Ingredients to Whip Up a Customer Journey Map

Creating a customer journey map is no piece of cake, but it doesn’t need be as daunting as climbing a mountain either. It's about collecting and cobbling together crucial customer data, but first things first! You've got to set your goal, and the best people to help you do this could be sitting in the very next cubicle! Yes, your colleagues. Involve your team — the sales professionals, the UX folks, and anyone who keeps tabs on customer behavior.

Now that you’ve defined the goals of your customer journey map, craft a bunch of customer personas. You've got to know who you're dealing with to tailor the perfect customer experience. Construct fictional customer profiles based on their purchasing behaviors, pain points, and spending behaviors.

Once you've got your personas ready, the mapping begins. From the moment a customer hears about your brand to the point of turning into a loyal returnee, identify all the touchpoints. Think social media buzz, email exchanges, website browsing, and even third party reviews. The more detailed you get, the richer the map!

Finally, pop the hood and look at what resources are available and what needs to be added to streamline the journey. A test drive around the customer journey for each persona will help identify any rocky roads or speed bumps that could lead to customer drop-off. Now you're all set to make any tweaks necessary for a smoother customer experience!

Say 'Hello' to the Benefits

The rewards of mapping the customer journey are a sight to behold. Firstly, it helps focus your omnichannel marketing efforts. Every customer touchpoint, be it email, social media, or website, can be strategically targeted to get your brand messaging across to potential customers.

Let's say your customer map reveals that a major chunk of your persona starts their purchase cycle through a web search. Wouldn't that be a reminder to sprinkle some SEO magic on your top-of-the-funnel answers?

Next, it helps identify any potholes in your current marketing strategy that might be causing a murky customer journey. Now, you can fill these gaps with fresh content on the right ground at the right time! This gives you a crazy good understanding of your audience. Seeing the world through the eyes of your customer? Priceless!  

It's not just about marketing — a customer journey map breeds a culture that's centered around the customer. It brings to the fore an understanding of what the customer is doing, how to prepare for their needs, and how to follow up effectively. When every teammate is in tune with these insights, a truly customer-centric marketing strategy is born.

Your customer journey map shouldn't stop with the ringing of the cash register, because the customer relationship doesn't end at the purchase. Post-purchase actions like onboarding, upselling, or turning customers into brand evangelists should also be accounted for in your map. This is a huge part of deepening customer relationships even further.

One Customer Journey Map Doesn't Fit All!

Remember, your customer journey map should be as unique as your business. For instance, a B2B model would chart customer discoveries through trade shows or presentations, proposal requests, demonstrations, and contract signing and renewal.

An e-commerce model's journey is more digital, with discovery through online referrals and search engines, price comparison, and online transactions. A B2C model enjoys more touchpoints, such as discovering through traditional advertising, in-store visits, online purchasing, and post-purchasing actions. Retail is a blend of online and offline experiences. The model you choose should reflect your business model.

The Final Judgement

There's a lot to love about customer journey mapping. It's a proven way to ensure businesses are on track in meeting the needs of their customers, resolving issues before they even come up, and it allows businesses to elevate their game in terms of delivering an excellent customer journey.

As they say, "knowledge is power," and a customer journey map represents a goldmine of knowledge about your customers’ behaviors and experiences. This tool will let you nurture customer relationships, improve customer satisfaction, and steer customers into becoming loyal patrons of your brand.  

The most exciting part? If your brand already has an existing customer journey map, you're halfway there! Breathe new life into it by identifying the gaps that have formed due to digital expansion. If you're starting from scratch, consider it an adventure! Begin with a deep dive into your business goals, and let this influence the scope of your map.  

So, whether your goal is to identify bottlenecks in the buying process or amp up your post-purchase customer service, a customer journey map will provide the direction you need. Crank things up a notch by utilizing tools like DrivenIQ’s VisitIQ™ or AudienceID™. These platforms not only provide real-time insights into customer behavior, but they can also unify them with customer profiles, allowing for quick and informed decision-making across the organization.

In the ever-competitive world of business, the advantages of mapping the customer journey can be likened to having insider knowledge. It provides that secret sauce that could turn a potential buyer into a lifelong customer. So hop on the customer journey mapping train, and elevate your customer experience game to new heights! After all, happy customers are the best brand ambassadors there are.